


To Be or Not to Be

by CloversDreams



Category: Good Omens (TV)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, Husbands being cute, M/M, so in love, the STATUE, the cottage, theatre date, theyre so Soft, too soft oh god
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-08
Updated: 2019-06-08
Packaged: 2020-04-23 00:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19140010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CloversDreams/pseuds/CloversDreams
Summary: “I’m pretty excited about this afternoon,” Aziraphale said between bites of his crêpes. His eyes shined with a hopeful happiness as he asked, “Are you looking forward to it as well?”“It’s a play. One we’ve seen about a million times at that,” Crowley reminded him.“I know, and it’s always as exciting as the first!” Aziraphale exclaimed. He wiggled in his seat and smiled from ear to ear.Had it been up to Crowley the first time would’ve been the last. However, he couldn’t ever seem to turn his companion down when he looked at him with pleading eyes. Aziraphale had mastered that look whether he knew it or not. After countless times it just sort of became a habit to join the angel when he went to plays. One that he couldn’t seem to shake even after more than 400 years





	To Be or Not to Be

 

Crowley looked up from the coffee he’d just finished making and out the nearby window. The sun had finally risen so the day had officially begun. He wasn’t usually up so annoyingly early, but it was just one of those mornings where he couldn’t stay in bed. He’d made sure to be quiet as he did things around the house earlier. He didn’t want to rouse a certain slumbering angel from his sleep. Though now that the sun was up he supposed that wouldn’t be an issue.

The sound of footsteps behind him got his attention and he turned his head just slightly to ask over his left shoulder, “Finally awake, angel?”

Aziraphale hummed to himself then asked, “What’s that tone about? You shouldn’t have let me sleep so long if you were lonely.”

“And risk you complaining all day long afterwards? I’m not an idiot.” Crowley huffed to himself. He’d never said anything about being lonely. He didn’t know where that had even come from. The warmth he felt now that his angel was around had nothing to do with anything.

“Nope, you’re just a wily and carefree serpent.” Aziraphale chuckled to himself. He smiled warmly then put a hand on Crowley’s shoulder and said, “Morning, dear.”

Crowley cleared his throat then asked, “Coffee?”

“Oh, how thoughtful. Yes, thank you.” Aziraphale turned and motioned vaguely behind them. Might as well make a whole meal of it. His voice was as cheery as could be when he asked, “Should I pop over to the usual place and get us some crêpes to go with?”

Crowley slid a plate towards the blond, the sound of which got his attention. He couldn’t help but smirk to himself when he heard a soft gasp. They’d been living together for a few months now, and been best friends with one another for millennia before that, of course he knew just what his angel wanted. Three crêpes with a drizzle of strawberry sauce atop them, a.k.a. one of his favorite treats.

“Crowley, you shouldn’t have!” Aziraphale’s voice was a mix of awe and excitement. He took the plate then kissed his demon boyfriend’s cheek. His gaze fell to the mugs on the counter and he realized that one was half-empty. He tilted his head and asked, “These aren’t Irish coffees, are they?”

“Yours isn’t,” Crowley replied, a hint of amusement in his voice. He brought his mug to his lips and maintained eye contact with Aziraphale as he took a sip. Life was better with a little kick. It was his motto and he wasn’t about to change that after six centuries.

Aziraphale gave him a look then took his own mug and plate over to the nearby table. He set them down where utensils already awaited him and took a seat. Once he was settled in he motioned towards the free seat across from him and hummed, “Won’t you join me?”

Crowley did as was requested and sat down. He couldn’t deny that he liked to watch Aziraphale eat, he always had. The angel made the cutest little content noises and always seemed to smile brightly when it came to food he enjoyed. The sight had been an odd source of comfort for him before he ever realized it.

“I’m pretty excited about this afternoon,” Aziraphale said between bites of his crêpes. His eyes shined with a hopeful happiness as he asked, “Are you looking forward to it as well?”

“It’s a play. One we’ve seen about a million times at that,” Crowley reminded him.

“I know, and it’s always as exciting as the first!” Aziraphale exclaimed. He wiggled in his seat and smiled from ear to ear.

Had it been up to Crowley the first time would’ve been the last. However, he couldn’t ever seem to turn his companion down when he looked at him with pleading eyes. Aziraphale had mastered that look whether he knew it or not. After countless times it just sort of became a habit to join the angel when he went to plays. One that he couldn’t seem to shake even after more than 400 years. Part of him didn’t want to considering he got to watch the angel’s eyes sparkle the whole time. That was his own little secret. He cocked an eyebrow at the blond and said, “Yeah, well, no need to waste all of your excitement now. We don’t have to be there for a few hours.”

“I’ve got plenty to last me until then,” Aziraphale assured him.

Crowley believed that. It had been the same ever since the angel had met Shakespeare himself and discovered his plays. If not for Aziraphale’s adoration of what he saw, he never would’ve stepped in and the playwright would’ve been lost to time. He was reminded of that every time there was a new adaptation of one of his plays into a movie or series or thousand different other things. He couldn’t have known just how popular the man’s works would become.

He’d wondered on more than one occasion if his little demonic miracle had been worth it. Every time he saw how his angel lit up when he found out there was a new adaptation of any of Shakespeare’s works Crowley knew that it had been. He wouldn’t take it back for anything.

Aziraphale finished off the last bite of his food then wiped his mouth with a napkin. He waved his hand and miracled the dishes into the sink. Then he stood and offered Crowley his arm as he asked, “Could I interest you in spending some time with me in the library before we have to go?”

Crowley scrunched his face and pretended to give it some thought. He nodded and replied, “I’ll have to cancel my other plans, but I suppose it’s all right.”

“Glad I’m worth clearing your schedule for,” Aziraphale chuckled.

Crowley made a ‘so-so’ sound then stood and hooked his arm in the offered one. They wandered towards the library together and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards in a smirk. About two doors away from their destination he muttered, “You _could_ call it that, but I also did a bit of redecorating in there and look forward to getting your opinion on it.”

Aziraphale paused and blinked for a moment. He had to make sure he’d heard that right. “You what? Crowley, we agreed that the library was off limits when it came to that. We both said it was my space to keep how I saw fit as the greenhouse is yours and–”

“True, but you also said I could do whatever I pleased with my favorite decoration,” Crowley wasted no time in reminding him.

There was a pause as Aziraphale let that sink in. He gasped softly then turned towards the demon and said, “You didn’t.”

“As you already pointed out, I was rather bored this morning.” Crowley shrugged. He had a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he motioned for the blond to go on ahead.

Aziraphale walked just a little faster until they made it to the library. He removed his arm from Crowley’s and entered the room. He didn’t need to search for the decoration in question since a certain demon had given the horrid thing its own pedestal and spotlight. Aziraphale walked right up to it then pouted and whined, “Did you really have to place it in the middle of the room? Not only does it throw off the décor, but it’s in the way!”

Crowley motioned to the statue in question and explained, “It’s a beautiful piece of art that represents the struggle between good and evil. The angel and demon wrestle until there’s a victor, in this case evil.”

“Are you quite sure that’s what they’re doing?” Aziraphale asked softly as he looked anywhere but the statue. He found it a bit embarrassing to tell the truth.

A devilish smirk spread across Crowley’s face. He was exceedingly pleased with himself as well as the reaction he’d gotten. Of course he’d move it again in a little while, but until then he’d get a kick out of watching how it made Aziraphale squirm. That was a favorite pastime of his, after all.

Aziraphale glanced at the statue then quickly looked away again. His voice was soft as he muttered, “And what kind of expression is that angel supposed to have on its face, anyway? Anguish? Ecstasy? It makes no sense.”

Crowley’s smile widened and he replied, “Sometimes the two go hand in hand, angel.”

“Poppycock,” Aziraphale snorted and rolled his eyes.

“I can explain it in further detail if you’d like,” Crowley hummed as he took a step closer to him. There was a glimmer of promise in his yellow eyes as he continued to grin like the cat that ate the canary.

Aziraphale shook his head and cleared his throat. “That won’t be necessary. I’m just saying I hardly think it belongs in the middle of my library.”

“You treat this whole cottage as your own personal library,” Crowley scoffed.

“I most certainly do not!” Aziraphale exclaimed.

 “Oh, yeah? You mean there aren’t books everywhere I look? You mean you haven’t noticed that it doesn’t matter what room we go to, there are multiple floor to ceiling bookcases in it? Not to mention the ones that don’t fit on those are stacked everywhere and anywhere.” Crowley couldn’t help but laugh when he noticed how Aziraphale blushed. The blond couldn’t argue with the truth. It wasn’t like he personally minded all the books, especially not since they made his angel happy. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t give him hell about it though. It was in his nature, after all.

Aziraphale turned away from him and smoothed out his vest. He knew when he’d been bested so he was ready to continue on. He headed over to the loveseat on the opposite end of the room. There was a book upon the table next to it. He picked it up, examined it, then nodded. He turned back towards Crowley and said, “Slither on over here, dear. I want to make the most of the time we have before the play. I can finish these next few chapters at the very least.”

Crowley sauntered over to his angel and paused. He held his chin in the air defiantly and asked, “What if I refuse?”

“Oh please, if you don’t get so many cuddles in per day you get grumpy. You can’t lie to me.” Aziraphale chuckled to himself.

“ _You can’t lie to me meh_ ,” Crowley mocked his words as he plopped down onto the loveseat. He didn’t deny them because there would be no point, but he didn’t have to be happy about it. He turned his head away from Aziraphale when he joined him. The way his arm wound around the angel’s waist was more of a reflex at this point. The fact that it felt like it belonged there was not lost on him, he simply chose to ignore it.

“Will you be reading along with me?” Aziraphale asked, his voice like warm honey.

Crowley shook his head. “I think I’ll shut my eyes for a bit. I did get up unnecessarily early.”

“All right. I’ll try not to make too much noise.” Aziraphale scooted a bit closer to him then opened his book to where his bookmark sat.

As if the guy ever made much noise while reading. Sometimes a soft chuckle or gasp but he was notoriously quiet when lost in a book. It was just another one of the way-too-lovable things about him. Crowley kissed his cheek then leaned his had back against the couch and shut his eyes. Waking up early had finally caught up with him and it only took moments for him to fall asleep now that he was comfortable.

 

“Crowley, dear, wake up~”

Crowley opened his eyes at the sound of the angelic voice and blinked away his grogginess. He lifted his head from where it had apparently ended up as he’d rested– Aziraphale’s shoulder. He grunted softly in an attempt to ask why he’d been disturbed. It had been a good nap.

“I lost track of time because the book was so riveting and you were very warm so I was exceedingly comfortable. Now we really need to get a wiggle on if we don’t want to be late. Let’s go!” Aziraphale explained the situation and then hopped to his feet. He muttered all kinds of things to himself about how the theatre could give away their seats if they didn’t show and it was a ‘miracle’ that the absolute best ones in the central orchestra had been available at all.

Crowley watched him for a moment, still in the process of waking up. He stood and stretched lazily. It was unfortunate to interrupt such a decent nap. He continued to watch his angel scramble about the room. It was when the blond was about to leave the room that he finally spoke up, “Angel, come here for a moment.”

Aziraphale waved a dismissive hand in his direction as he replied, “We don’t have time for any more cuddles, Crowley. We have to go.”

“Dressed like _that_?” Crowley asked. His gaze wandered over the blond’s tartan pajamas and back up again.

Aziraphale looked down at himself then gasped, “Oh! Heavens no! Good catch!”

Crowley would’ve reminded him that they didn’t need but a split second to get there but it was a bit too funny to watch him panic. He had no idea what Aziraphale would do next when he got all flustered. It was cute. He watched his angel raise both hands and wave them quickly. In the blink of an eye his outfit changed. Crowley’s gaze traveled over the white affair. It was familiar in the worst way. His eyes landed upon the puffy shorts and he dreaded looking down at his own clothes. As soon as he did and saw the black shorts that puffed out in the same manner he had to hold back an offended hiss.

“What do you think?” Aziraphale asked, clearly proud of his work. He smiled as he added, “They’re reminiscent of the clothing we wore when we met the man himself. Do you recall?”

“I recall your little crush on him,” Crowley teased. It was the better option than to flat out tell the blond that he hated the clothes. It didn’t make sense to put a damper on his mood right before they went out and did one of his favorite things.

Aziraphale’s cheeks darkened and he gasped. He immediately defended himself. “I had no such thing! I simply knew he was destined for greatness and was in awe of his talent! We angels have a knack for sensing these things!”

“Uh huh…” Crowley snapped his fingers and their outfits immediately changed back to modern clothing. Thank whatever deity was listening for that. He smoothed out his clothes then looked at Aziraphale, who had a little pout on his face. Crowley walked over to him then pat his shoulder and said, “Relax, you look great. Modern clothing suits you much better than that rubbish.” He watched the way the blond beamed at him. Such a tiny compliment went an incredibly long way with him. Of course Crowley couldn’t just leave it at that. He was a demon, after all. He held his chin in the air and declared, “The clothes do suit _me_ even better than you, but that goes without saying.”

“Oh, you…” Aziraphale rolled his eyes. Though he held back the smile that wanted to spread across his face he was sure the affectionate look in his eyes gave it away. He turned away from the silly demon and asked, “Does this mean you’re ready to go?”

Crowley hooked his arm in Aziraphale’s and snapped the fingers on his free hand so a pair of sunglasses appeared in it. He put them on and nodded as he finally replied, “Time to show me these miraculous seats you claim to have gotten us.”

A quick nod of Aziraphale's head later and they were standing outside of the theatre. He practically buzzed with his anticipation as he said, “This is rather exciting, isn’t it? You have to be feeling it now.”

“Feels exactly the same to me as it has for the last four centuries,” Crowley shrugged. The lie was more for his angel’s benefit than his own. He knew how shy the blond could get when it came to public displays of affection. Millennia of dancing around their feelings had confirmed that much. Now they kept that kind of stuff at home where it belonged.

They both admired the flashy sign that read Hamlet: Grand Premiere. Beneath that was a smaller sign that read: Sold Out. The miracle that kept on giving. A grin spread across Aziraphale’s face as he hummed, “To be, or not to be, my dear Crowley, _that_ is the question.”

Crowley didn’t even think about it and simply stared up at the sign as he continued the monologue.

“Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer  
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,  
Or to take arms against a sea of troubles  
And by opposing end them. To die—to sleep,  
No more; and by a sleep to say we end  
The heart-ache and the thousand natural shocks– _mmf_!”

He blinked in surprise when Aziraphale kissed him suddenly and cut him off mid-quote. It wasn’t even a chaste one on the cheek. He went right for the lips. Crowley wondered what had happened to that shyness as he felt his own cheeks start to burn. It was the surprise. Not actual embarrassment, of course. When the blond finally pulled away from him he cleared his throat then adjusted his glasses and looked around quickly before he asked, “What was that for?”

Aziraphale’s own cheeks were a lovely rosy hue. He smiled to himself and admitted softly, “I’ve just… I’ve never been quite as fond of you as I am in this moment. I wanted to express that.”

“That can’t be true,” Crowley snorted. He was, after all, pretty darn great if he did say so himself.

“I assure you it is.” Aziraphale nodded. His eyes shined with his happiness as he explained, “You not only learned Shakespeare for me, but lines from a tragedy no less.”

“I don’t recall saying it was for you,” Crowley immediately protested, “though it was absolutely _because_ of you. Dragging me to so many plays and all that nonsense over the last four centuries. Something was bound to stick.”

“You weren’t obligated to say yes when I asked,” Aziraphale reminded him. He’d never force someone to do something they didn’t want to, demon or otherwise.

Crowley rolled his eyes and shook his head. He explained the obvious as he replied, “Someone had to look out for you, Mister Gullible.”

“So I got conned once or twice because I trusted a few less than noble humans…” Aziraphale let his sentence trail off.

“Once or–! You can’t be serious!” Crowley exclaimed a bit louder than he meant to. He wasn’t even sure he could count the number of times he’d had to save the blond from a ridiculous situation that would’ve been completely avoidable in all the years they’d known each other.

Aziraphale shushed him. He took Crowley’s hand in his and mumbled, “It’s not important. What matters is the fact that I’m grateful that you were always there when I needed you most, my dear.”

Crowley hadn’t expected to hear that. Sometimes his angel hit him with these things out of the blue and he wasn’t sure how to react. He did his best to appear as nonchalant as possible as he replied, “Yeah, well, you can’t get rid of me that easily.”

“That’s a relief since I have no intention of getting rid of you. Ever. You’re stuck with me, I’m afraid.” Aziraphale squeezed his hand and smiled from ear to ear.

“I suppose it’s worth sitting through a little Shakespeare when you put it like that…”

“Even a tragedy?” Aziraphale asked, a teasing look in his eyes.

“Even a tragedy,” Crowley echoed him with a nod.

Aziraphale opened his mouth to reply then promptly shut it. He scrunched his face as he thought to himself for a second. He finally smiled and tilted his head then hummed, “Remind me to tell you something when we get home later.”

“All right…” Crowley didn’t know what was wrong with saying it now but whatever. The play was just about to start so there was no need to dwell on it. He let his angel lead him into the theatre without another word.

 

Night had fallen by the time they finally got back home. Crowley and Aziraphale stood in the gazebo that sat in their front yard and looked at the way the moonlight lit up their surroundings. The quaint cottage surrounded by trees was everything they could’ve ever wanted. Their own little slice of the world. It still amazed them that they’d come so far.

A nightingale started to sing in a nearby tree and they both turned towards the lovely sound. Crowley huffed softly to himself. What a cheesy thing to happen in an already cheesy moment. He bet that his angel was absolutely eating it up. He glanced at Aziraphale out of the corner of his eye and saw that he had an enchanted little smile upon his face. He looked absolutely ethereal in the moonlight. Crowley did his best to ignore the way that made his heart flutter.

His gaze fell upon the bird once more and he said, “You wanted me to remind you to tell me something.”

Aziraphale blinked a few times then turned to look at him. “Ah. Yes. Thank you.” He looked around them and asked no one in particular, “It’s just us out here, isn’t it?”

Of course it was, this was their personal plot of land. They were always the only ones around, much like their very own Eden. Not to mention it was pretty late and most humans would be in bed asleep by now. Crowley motioned towards the bird in the tree with his head and replied, “Just us and the nightingale.”

“He won’t mind.” Aziraphale stepped closer to him. He took Crowley’s hands in his and as soon as the demon looked his way he leaned in for a kiss. It wasn’t the first time they’d kissed beneath the romantic glow of a nearly full moon, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. There was something so very whimsical about a kiss like this. It was extra memorable. He broke the kiss and pulled away just enough to sigh, “I love you, dear.”

“I love you, angel,” Crowley hummed as he leaned in for another kiss. He put his hand on Aziraphale’s cheek then pressed their foreheads together and let out a content sigh. They both smiled to themselves and turned their attentions back to the moon. Crowley’s hand found its way into his angel’s and he muttered, “We should go there.”

“The moon? That dreadfully boring place without any food whatsoever?” Aziraphale asked, just to be clear they were on the same page. From what he’d heard about the place there really was nothing there.

“So we’ll bring some. Have ourselves a moon picnic.” Crowley grinned at the idea. He knew he’d piqued his angel’s interest with that.

“A moon picnic?” Aziraphale repeated it as he mulled it over. There was just a hint of wonderment in his eyes.

“The view will be incredible,” Crowley added for good measure.

“I should think it would be, yes. Not to mention I’ve got that bottle of wine I was saving for a special occasion.” Aziraphale smiled from ear to ear. What could be more special than this? He practically radiated excitement as he replied, “All right. Let’s have a moon picnic.”

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> The cottage is the one where they retire  after canon yes 
> 
> The statue in question being the ridiculous one in  Crowley’s flat 
> 
> Oh nooo such fluffffff... i cant take the sofffffffft 
> 
> I guess this is a spiritual successor to my first fic since they use the pet names and whatnot
> 
> Shakespeare themed titles are my thing for this pairing I suppose??? Aziraphale would want it that way
> 
> Thanks for all the love on the last fic!! You guys fuel my writing flame <3<3


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